


the good life

by orca_mandaeru



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Babies, Castles, Domestic Bliss, Interspecies Relationship(s), Kid Fic, Lovecraftian Monster(s), M/M, Magical Pregnancy, Mpreg, Other, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, norenmin are taeyong's sons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-15 21:31:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18677749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orca_mandaeru/pseuds/orca_mandaeru
Summary: Taeyong never thought he'd find the happiness he always dreamed of with an eldritch monster and their children, but love is found in unexpected places.





	the good life

**Author's Note:**

> i think i was possessed while writing this but it is my beloved child anyway

The beach is Taeyong's go-to place to clear his head. The breeze ruffles through the sparse grasses, soft swish of the in and out of ocean waves. taeyong sits himself down on a boulder, resting his chin in his hands and looking out over the water. 

 

It seems counterintuitive that when he's bored with life he comes out here to do nothing, but this is a beautiful kind of nothing, one that settles his mind and makes him feel for just a second that he doesn't matter, there’s nothing he needs to prove. Not like the acidic boredom that eats him from the inside no matter how much he does.

 

He needs to find something new, something that will hold his attention and give him some sort of satisfaction. But there's nothing, and he's been going to work just to come home and fiddling aimlessly for far too long now. 

 

So he takes every spare hour to come out here, fall into the rhythm of the waves and the winds, pretend he belongs right here, maybe as seagull squawking overhead, or a fish leaping from the water. 

 

A lizard pokes its head up over the side of the rock. Taeyong smiles at it, and the lizard stares at him suspiciously. Starting slowly, so subtle he doesn't register it,but growing rapidly, is something that can't quite be classified as a sound. 

 

It's like vibration bottled and poured into his ears, not so much a noise but an encompassing pressure. The very ground vibrates, the sand shifting like it's switched places with the water. The lizard scurries away, little legs frantically working as it's nearly crushed by the vibrating rock. 

 

Taeyong's hands fly to his ears, scrunching his eyes up as the the noise rattles his mind. It grows to the point where Taeyong is afraid that his brain is going to rupture and leak out of his ears. And then everything stops. 

 

Taeyong falls off the boulder and lands palms-first on the shale, wincing when he feels the sharp edges slice his palm. Legs wobbly, he slowly gets up, nervously scanning the landscape around him. He can't shake the feeling that someone, or something, is watching him. 

 

He takes a step forward, not knowing what he means to do, where he should he go. He can't just leave. But before he can make a decision his feet move again. It's the strangest feeling, because he’s doing it but not on purpose. It's like the awareness of his own body has been cut off at the waist. 

 

He watches his moving legs with a distant fascination. He's not as freaked out by this as he thought he'd be, but then again, Taeyong hasn't been feeling much other than apathy recently. 

 

He doesn't know how long he walks, but he's past any part of the beach he's been to before, sand giving way to coarse grass and rocks. It's deathly quiet but for the sound of his breathing, the cricket and seagull calls gone. Even the noise of the waves has stopped, but Taeyong doesn't turn his head, afraid of seeing the impossible come to life. 

 

Finally, his feet come to a stop. The ground has been rising steadily on his left side as he walked, and it's culminated in this, a cliff rising to nearly twenty feet high. There's a small opening in the cliff face, edges jagged and barely big enough to fit him. 

 

The inside is a pitch darker than black. A cold draft washes out of the opening, sickly sweet air washing over Taeyong and sending a shudder down his spine. He should walk away from this. The amount of red flags he should have paid attention to up to this point... 

 

The ache inside his chest that draws him to this beach is tugging inside of him like a magnet, begging him to fall into that darkness. Curiosity killed the cat, but what a nice way to go it would be. 

 

He glances behind him one last time and stills. The ocean is flat, dead, not one tiny movement or splash across the entire horizon. It was sunny and completely cloudless less than an hour ago, but now there’s an enormous bank of rolling dark clouds gathering low in the atmosphere. 

 

The way they curl through the air, casting a dark shadow over the quiet water, is absolutely mesmerizing. Foreboding fills Taeyong, but he's not scared. He should be terrified, but instead the scene is so full of an indescribable beauty that tears well up unbidden in his eyes. 

 

With one last hungry look he tears his gaze away from the horizon, facing the dark hole. A memory floats up to the forefront of his mind, the first and last time anyone was ever worried about him. A high school friend, Yuta, clapping him on the back with concerned eyes the last time they saw each other. "Don't do anything stupid," he had said, too knowing. Taeyong had laughed it off. 

 

"Sorry, Yuta," Taeyong whispers, stepping forward into the darkness. It envelopes him like a protective cloak, and even though he can't see anything at tall, blindly walking forward, the walls never scrape him. Either the entrance has opened up considerably or his feet are still guiding him right. 

 

His skin won't stop prickling, and even though he can't hear anything, he know it's there, this thrum through his body and soul. He still feels like something's watching him. In fact, it's getting stronger with every shaky step he takes. 

 

And then Taeyong feels it. His feet and the rest of his body freeze in place. The sheer presence filling his awareness overwhelms his mind, and his legs give out, knees hitting the ground hard. His hands shoot out instinctively, but he yanks them back quick, the cuts on his palms reopening. He can feel blood trickling down his hands. 

 

With a swish like the dry rustle of a thousand wings, the cave isn't so dark anymore. Over a dozen enormous eyes flick open at once, each the size of Taeyong's fist, bulging out of the dark skin of the sockets. Each one is a different color, all focusing on Taeyong with the intensity of a thousand suns. more specifically, on the blood dripping from his palms. 

 

He doesn't just feel small beneath this gaze, this presence. He feels fucking miniscule. He can barely make out the looming shape of the thing. He can tell it's enormous, dark purple body and the ominous shift of wriggling somethings at its lower half. 

 

Taeyong's already resigned himself to dying here. By the way this thing is looking at him it's going to rip him open and slurp up all the blood and that will be the end of Lee Taeyong. The thing's head? swoops closer but Taeyong doesn't flinch, just closes his eyes in preparation. 

 

But no pain comes, no attack. Instead, he feels something moist and slim curl around his wrist, gently tugging it forward. He relaxes his muscles and lets it. The enormous head come into focus as the creature leans forward, multiple eyes focusing. 

 

The little tentacles around the mouth wriggle slightly as it opens, revealing bright white blunt-tipped fangs. The long forked tongue flicks out to taste curiously at Taeyong's blood. He shudders at the contact and bright flare of pain, and two of the luminous eyes flick up to watch his face instead. Taeyong gulps and makes eye contact with one of them. 

 

The long tongue licks flat over both of his palms and Taeyong hisses, closing them on instinct. The tongue retreats and Taeyong stares at it, uncurling his hands. There's no trace of the scrapes, his skin completely unblemished. 

 

Breathless, he stares up again at the creature. For a split second he thinks he sees something in those alien eyes, some emotion. That's ridiculous, right? But then he feels it, that presence that presses against the corners of the cave, sliding over to Taeyong somehow. And he knows with utter certainty that this is the creature. 

 

He curiously prods mentally at the presence, and it responds. He's pressed up against a consciousness. This thing isn't a monster or an animal, he’s intelligent. "Can-can you understand me?" Taeyong says, voice embarrassingly shaky. The mind pressing against his perks up considerably, almost eagerly, and a resounding thrum of affirmation runs through it. 

 

Taeyong nearly topples over in shock. That was more a series of impressions than a spoken word, but it was unmistakably communication, and an answer to his question. Wonderingly,  he reaches out, for what he doesn't know. A long tentacle from below curls around his arm, gently pulling him back to balance. 

 

Taeyong swallows hard. He feels vaguely stupid, but he just doesn't know what to do. What does one say in a situation like this? Make small talk about the weather? The creature doesn't seem to be too concerned about initiating conversation, calmly looking at Taeyong. 

 

“What-what are you?" Taeyong finally breathes out. "Do you have a name?" He gets images this time, things he can't make sense of, writhing masses of shifting flesh and popping eyes, and through the mess, a lone humanoid woman with a bright sheen about her. And then sounds, something that is unmistakably a name. 

 

"Mhuibith? Is that your name?" It feels right. "I'm Taeyong. Can I touch you, Mhuibith?" A yes hums through him again, and Taeyong ventures forward with shaky steps, hand coming out to rest on the dark leathery skin of his head. It feels right under his palm. He feels like he belongs, right here. 

 

"Why me?' he whispers. Because this can't be by chance, he feel it in his bones. Mhuibith leans forward, all that weight shifting to press closer to him. Their consciousnesses touch and Taeyong can see it,  of years of lonely existence in the war-torn cosmos, being so tired, settling down for as long a hibernation as possible, with the firm certainty that the only way he would wake up was with the arrival of his true mate. 

 

"Me," Taeyong gasps out. He sits down hard on the rock floor. It's hitting him hard. He feels utterly right with the knowledge, down to his every bone. He's been waiting for this, even as much as Mhuibith has through all those years of sleep. He feels...at home, like never before. 

 

Embarrassingly, he can feel a few stray tears leak out of the corners of his eyes. One large tentacle comes up to gently wipe it away from his cheek, another tilting his chin up. He can feel the apprehension, worry about his soulmate rejecting him, and it's so strange with Mhuibith's unchanging outer features. 

 

Taeyong waves his hand and sniffles. "Happy tears," he says. "What does all this mean?" There's no use getting his hopes up now for something he may still never get to have. But then images fill his head again, of Taeyong with a swelling belly, holding wriggling little tentacled babies in his arms. 

 

Taeyong rips back into himself with a gasp. "Please, please, give that to me, I want it." Mhuibith hums, an actual out loud sound, the emission so powerful it shakes the cave. Taeyong laughs breathlessly and forgets all inhibitions, falling forward into the mess of tentacles below him. 

 

As expected, they don't let him fall, buoying him and lifting him with almighty strength. Two tentacles circle each of his limbs, lifting him easily as a sack of feathers until he’s eye-level with Mhuibith. All his eyes blink synchronized, all focused on Taeyong's body with an intense curiosity. 

 

Taeyong blushes fiercely, realizing what's about to happen. God, he wants it. Maybe he's freak, but the slightly damp surface of those tentacles are something else, not to mention how much it feels like he's been waiting his whole life for this moment. 

 

Two more fleshy tentacles stroke gently through Taeyong's hair, rubbing the strands between. They move lower, caressing lightly over his cheeks and jaw, the tip of one prodding against Taeyong's lips. His eyes flutter shut and he parts his lips, sticking his tongue out to meet the tip. It tastes musky, natural. 

 

The tentacle shudders in his mouth at the contact. It pushes forward and Taeyong sucks eagerly as the other one continuous its curious path down his body. The tentacle tugs at the collar of his shirt, plucking at the material. Taeyong hums with his mouth full. 

 

He doesn't have to do anything, going limp and letting the strong tentacles manhandle him out of his shirt, tossing it. The multitude of eyes rove over his exposed skin, following the blush spreading down his neck. 

 

The tentacles take their time exploring Taeyong's skin, all those eyes logging and studying every reaction he makes, every shudder when one rubs over a sensitive spot. There's no rush, just soft exploration, his lips around the one tentacle settling him. There's a fire lit under his skin, but it's slow burn, patient and strong. 

 

Once Mhuibith is satisfied studying his torso, he moves on lower. "Mph," Taeyong gurgles when one slides down to press against the front of his pants. Half the eyes flick to study his face, and repeats the action. 

 

Taeyong squirms, trying to get more pressure on his hardening cock. His pants and underwear are rolled down his thighs, softly stroking tentacles taking their place and teasing the skin of his inner thighs. Two tentacles reach out to cradle his hard cock, three eyes looking at it curiously. 

 

Taeyong wriggles his hips forward into the grip, the tentacle in his mouth slipping out as he pants. The appendages holding him up spread his thighs wide, his muscles straining, and Mhuibith's giant head swings forward between them. Taeyong's breath catches in his chest. 

 

He should be scared seeing those sharp teeth inches away from his cock, but instead it just sends a thrill through his body. One of the canines is even bigger than his cock. And then that huge purple tongue slides out and licks a long stripe up Taeyong's crotch, soaking his cock and balls with sticky spit. 

 

Taeyong whimpers and his legs instinctively try to close, but the tentacles keep them apart as Mhuibith goes in for another lick. The tongue is hot as hell and so slick, it's like nothing he's ever felt before. It swirls and Taeyong cries out, stuttering “T-too much!” 

 

The tongue slurps back into his mouth, those eyes just focusing, waiting on his next action. Taeyong swallows. "Turn me over and do that." Right as he finishes speaking he's flipped over, staring at the rocky cave floor. 

 

It's more intense like this. Even though he can't see those huge eyes, he also can't see what's about to happen to him. And then the tongue dives back in, swiping up from his perineum to his hole and up over the small of his back. Taeyong keens and lets his hang head, breathing hard. 

 

The licks come again, slower this time, taking care to note his reactions, the patterns in the tensing of his muscles. Mhuibith observes how Taeyong shudders when his tongue drags flat over his hole, focusing more on that area, the two tapered points slipping right in. 

 

The saliva is so thick and viscous Taeyong doesn't feel any pain as the fleshy tongue pushes its way inside his body. It’s so much better than a human tongue, long and dexterous. It pulls back a bit to let a slim tentacle wriggle its way into his hole, the tip flicking against his walls. 

 

Another is wrapping around his cock, creating a firm sleeve to thrust into. Taeyong’s so, so sensitive, squirming and whining at every movement. The tongue fits back inside of him, at the same time the tentacle inside him happens to flick across his prostate, making taeyong twitch.

 

It pauses inside of him, then presses against the same spot. Taeyong lets out a long moan and writhes against the tentacles holding him up. "I'm-I'm gonna-" he blabbers, even though Mhuibith won't know what he means. He thrusts up one more time and cums, spilling over the dark tentacles around his cock, dripping down to the cave floor. 

 

But all of the tentacles around him don't falter in their rhythm. Taeyong chokes up, all of his muscles clenching and unclenching. The oversensitivity adds a sharp tinge to everything. The tongue in his ass licks across his prostate, a couple stray tears pressed out of his eyes with the intensity 

 

Taeyong asks to be turned around again and Mhuibith complies. "Do it now," Taeyong says confidently. "I'm ready. Breed me, fill me up with our children." That deep hum rumbles through the cave again. 

 

Mhuibith's tentacles lift him up higher, where he has a perfect view of the writhing mass of tentacles that is the being’s lower half pulling apart and parting like ocean waves, revealing one much thicker than the others, half as long with a slit in the tip. Taeyong licks his lips and stares at it. "Get that in me now, please." 

 

Two tentacles come up to tease at Taeyong's hole, spreading it apart and seeming to wonder if the thicker one will fit. They stretch him out wide, the strange sensation of air wafting into his hole. Then they lower him, gentle and sturdy, down closer to that huge alien dick. 

 

The tentacles in him slide out as he gets closer, until the enormous purple head of the biggest one is pressed up against his rim. His hole stretches over just the tip of it. And then the tentacles loosen around his arms and legs and he falls down, the length punched into him all the way in one breath before he’s caught again.

 

Taeyong throws his head back and screams into the dark. It's so much more intimate then any cock he's had inside him before, because it's sentient, flexible and wriggling inside of him. Mhuibith drags out, painfully slow. 

 

The bulbous tentacle rubs against every inch of his insides, and the ones around his limbs lift him up again like he weighs nothing and drop him down again. His cock is already starting to get hard again from the overwhelming feeling. Mhuibith's dozen eyes are heavy-lidded now, and Taeyong feels a strong rush of satisfaction at eliciting such a reaction. 

 

His hands clasp and unclasp weakly. The alien cock inside him keeps wriggling inside him at the same time it's dragging inside and out. The other two come back to rub over his cock and it's still too much, the pleasure with a delicious edge to match the stretch in his ass. 

 

"Mhuibith," Taeyong whispers and the creature's eyes snap to his face. "Please, knock me up, fill me with our babies, give it to me." The humming that he felt at the beach starts up again at a lower intensity, making his teeth shake and voice chop in his throat. 

 

The tentacle inside him fits all the way in and stills, and the bottom of it swells into a knot stretching out his rim. The swell moves up the tentacle, stretching out every inch of him until it's at the end, the engorged tip lodged far inside of him. Then it releases, warm liquid flooding his insides. 

 

Taeyong whimpers quietly as his body is pumped full of alien cum. He can feel it taking root inside of him, he swears he can. The tentacle-cock slides slowly out of him. Taeyong keens and tries to clench his loose hole to keep the goo from dripping out of him. 

 

A couple thinner tentacles help him out, slipping in him and balling up an inch in to plug him up. Taeyong pants, recovering. A deep hum of satisfaction runs through the cave. A tiny thing, small but definitely there, moves inside of him. His eyes fly open, reality really hitting him. 

 

Half of Mhuibith's eyes are on his stomach, the others on his face. The tentacles around his limbs loosen, and Taeyong’s worried for a second as he drops, but is caught a second later by the interwoven bed of gently moving tentacles behind him. 

 

Taeyong stretches out his arms, yawning sleepily. He's exhausted more than normal, like every moment in his life that he was too tired to keep his eyes open is catching up to him. He hasn't thought this through but he just doesn't care. For some reason he feels utterly safe in this hold, protected by the feeling of a multitude of eyes watching him. Feeling better than he ever has before in his entire life, Taeyong lets sleep overtake him.

 

*

 

Taeyong lazily comes to, stirring and raising his head. He's not in the cave anymore, not in the dark. Instead, there's stone walls around him, light streaming in through a curtainless window. He's on a bed, and the room is empty. He's alone. 

 

Taeyong sits up in the bed, leans against the cool stone wall. The events of yesterday seem so faraway. He would think it was all a dream, if not for the little something he can feel in his stomach area. He doesn’t regret it in the slightest. 

 

Mhuibith...Now that he's more clear-headed he's a bit intimidated, but he can feel more tangibly the connection between him and the creature, god, whatever he is. And he is absolutely certain he won't harm him for a second, especially when Taeyong's carrying his children. 

 

He thinks of the facade of a life he's left behind. There's nothing he cares about leaving behind, no one he wants to keep in contact with, no belongings he has any attachment to. He's had a pathetic existence, really. 

 

Taeyong tries not to think about it, just like he always has, and slides off the bed. He's naked, clothes probably ripped to shreds in the cave, so he takes the bedsheets with him, wrapping it around his shoulders  like a cloak. 

 

He wanders over to the window, cool breeze ruffling his hair. His breath sticks in his chest as he looks, eyes roving hungrily over the view. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Wherever this is is on a hill, sloping green fields dotting width evergreen trees as far as the eye can see, white dots of grazing sheep. 

 

It's like the beach but better. Taeyong was born in Seoul, never lived anywhere else. It’s breathtaking, and he takes big gulps of the fresh air. He leans out of the window further, looking left and right. He's...in a castle. 

 

Moss and ivy-covered stone expand out form the sides, and if he cranes his head up, he can see the rampants. Quite the upgrade from his tiny one-room apartment. With one last look he tears himself away from the window and heads toward the great wooden door. 

 

The hinges are rusted, but the handle still works. He wanders out into the hallway. Somehow he knows where to go, just like before on the beach, following his intuition down one set of stairs into an enormous chamber. There's Mhuibith, in a corner of the room. 

 

Taeyong stands there in the doorway, taking himin. Now in full light he can actually see all of the eldritch creature. His general figure looks like a giant octopus, the large head leading down into a mass of slowly-moving tentacles. Maybe Taeyong's biased, but he doesn't think he looks as weird as he imagined an eldritch monster would look. 

 

"Hi," Taeyong say, strolling forward. All those eyes blink open at once, studying him as always. Taeyong keeps walking forward and the tentacles make space for him, flattening out into a cradle-like shape. 

 

Taeyong climbs in, getting comfortable and wrapping his sheet fully around him like a blanket. He can feel that mind pressing against him, and this time he presses back, trying to get through. There's no coherent thoughts, just a whirlpool of immense consciousness. 

 

Taeyong pulls back a little. He gets the feeling that if he spent enough time staring into that black hole, he'd go crazy. In the future he needs to find a way to make communication more efficient. "So, where is this place?" he asks. 

 

The image comes, of a time over a thousand years ago, when knights sought him out from legend in an attempt to kill him for the fame. A newly built castle, the noble lords and ladies and the peasants running away screaming at the first sight of him seeking refuge. 

 

That was one of the last memories before the long hibernation. Taeyong is blown away again by the sheer primordial energy encased in the creature who’s holding him, swallowing before continuing. "Do-can you speak like I can?" 

 

There's a long pause, and Taeyong waits, worrying at the seam of the sheet. Finally, he feels the presence flare up.  _ Yes. It is strange.  _ The voice still isn't a physical voice, still mental, still indescribable, but it is a voice. 

 

Somehow a common line of communication cements Mhuibith's presence for Taeyong, that this is a creature probably more intelligent than humans. Taeyong feels tiny again. One of the tentacles surrounding him, as if sensing his mood, dips down to gently stroke against his cheek. 

 

Though the silence is comfortable, Taeyong wants to fill it. And the thing he's felt most consistently from Mhuibith is curiosity. And they have all the time in the world. So he starts. "You probably don't know much about what's been happening since you've been asleep, right? Well-" 

 

Once he starts he can't stop. He's just talking, anything he can remember from his history classes, daily life, and all of the incredible innovations humans have cooked up. It goes on for at least an hour or two. His voice is getting hoarse, he's never talked this much in his life. 

 

He can't think of anyone who would have ever listened to him like this. His uncle would have told him to stop wasting time, and he never had any real friends. But Mhuibith's curious eyes turn over his every word, and Taeyong knows he'll remember. 

 

It's interesting to try and describe things he takes for granted using just words, since he can't seem to do that mental image trick. He finally trails off, swallowing with his dry throat. The one tentacle strokes through his hair, brushing through the strands. 

 

Mhuibith presses against him again, projecting images of Taeyong smiling and happy, surrounded by blanks with question marks attached. "You want to know what I want? Can you can get things for me?" An image tinged with pride, of the entire universe for him if he asks. 

 

Taeyong laughs and grabs hold of the tentacle winding through his hair, pulling it away and pressing a kiss to the side. "Um, food and water, of course. Nothing too complicated for now, cans and boxes are best. A few books? Any will be fine. Maybe some paper and pencil...oh! Clothes, definitely. A few pairs of stuff like I had at the beach." 

 

He can tell Mhuibith is a little bit confused, but accepting. "If you take them without permission, take them from a store or something, not homes. Can you do that?" Another affirmative. Taeyong snuggles further into his sheet. "Thank you.”

 

He feels the wave of protectiveness pressing close to him, Mhuibith's need to provide and care for his mate. Taeyong rubs absentmindedly over his stomach, the growing consciousness he can feel inside of him. A tentacle joins his hand over the still-slat surface of his stomach. It tickles, and Taeyong giggles and squirms, trying to get away. It pauses, then repeats the action. Taeyong  slips away, nearly hitting the stone floor before the sturdy tentacles catch him. 

 

He waves a hand, getting to his feet. "I'm okay. You should go get that stuff. Is there a way I contact you in case something happens?" 

 

_ My name _ , Mhuibith rumbles, and then Taeyong blinks and he’s gone, no trace of the giant entity that was there a second before. 

 

Taeyong looks at the bedsheet consideringly, the only he clothes he has right now. He ties two ends around his neck, another tie around his waist so he won't be exposed. He scans the chamber, the broken remains of a table in the middle. Time to explore. 

 

First he scopes out the castle. It's not that large, in fact, it could probably be classified more as a fort. There are seven large bedchambers, three floors with rough-hewn stairs leading up and down. 

 

There’s a Snickers wrapper in the corner of one of the rooms, probably from adventurous teenagers, so they're not too far from civilization. 

 

He finds a primitive bathroom, a small room with a hole in the raised wood floor, leading who knows where. Taeyong wrinkles his nose and wonders if Mhuibith could manage to put in an entire plumbing system. 

 

There's even a little kitchen, with two huge fireplaces, an ancient cast iron cauldron leaning lonely in one, a couple of pots scattered across the ground. 

 

After he's explored the bottom two floors, he ascends one more flight of stairs and emerges on the ramparts. The view is just as beautiful as the one from his window, the cloudless blue sky and sun shining brightly above. The wind ruffles through his hair and billows the sheet out with air.

 

Taeyong’s never felt so free and unfettered in his life. It’s what he barely hoped to dream of in his life before. He's not just alone, but freed from the impending dread of waiting responsibilities. 

 

He'll never have to go back to the job that his uncle picked out for him, full of enemies and bad reminders. He doesn't need to do anything but what he wants.

 

Taeyong spreads his arms to feel the breeze better and throws his head back to laughs at the sun.

 

*

 

Taeyong sits there for a while, totally relaxing and letting his mind check out. He can already feel the last dregs of stress falling from his shoulders. He doesn't even have a watch, so he can't tell what time it is, but the sun is directly ahead in the sky. 

 

After he's had enough of the ramparts, he heads back downstairs and outside the half-rotted wood doors to explore outside. The green grass is cool and springy under his bare feet as Taeyong wanders the perimeter of the castle. Surrounding the back half is a shallow moat, the water fetid and still. 

 

Keeping the castle in sight he heads off, walking over a little hill and catching sight of a beautiful little pond, clear water and the bans dotted with green bushes and wildflowers. A tiny herd of sheep are grazing near. Taeyong jogs over, stopping a few yards away from the sheep. One of them stares at him, ears flicking, mostly unconcerned. 

 

Sitting down on the bank, Taeyong dangles his toes into the water. He unties his sheet and throws it onto the bank, sliding all the way into the water. The pool is shallow, only coming up to his stomach. His toes sink into the squishy mud at the bottom, and little fish nibble at his legs. He dunks his head under water to ge his hair wet, emerging again from the water and shaking his head like a dog. 

 

Taeyong crouches down until only his head is over the water, swimming over to the bank where the sheep are grazing. One looks at him warily, but they don't run away. He watches the fluffy animals for a while, thinking. 

 

A day with nothing to do like this is wonderful, but if he's going to stay here he'll need something to do. He could get a computer or something like that, but he doesn't want to come into contact with other humans so soon. The sheep and the castle make his think of a documentary he had seen as a kid, oh medieval people creating clothes just from wool. Maybe he could take up knitting. 

 

Taeyong pulls himself out of the water and drags his body onto the bank, lazing in the grass and letting the rays of the sun wash over his bare skin and dry him out. He dozes off there, completely comfortable. 

 

*

 

He jolts awake with a soft touch on his chest, relaxing when he sees Mhuibith's looming form above him. Taeyong stretches out, humming. "Welcome back." 

 

Mhuibith pushes across images of endless rows of shelves, tentacles hovering over the hundreds of similar products in confusion. Taeyong smiles and sits up. grasping unhurriedly for his sheet. He looks at the castle on the hill over the horizon, wondering. "I don’t want to walk all the way back..." he fishes. 

 

Mhuibith's eyes slowly blink, and then his tentacles encase Taeyong, wrapping around his back and pulling him tight. Another blink and they're back in the large castle chamber.  

 

"Woah," Taeyong breaths, wondering just how much Mhuibith can do. The tentacles gently set him on his feet. There's a huge pile of stuff in the corner of the room, all piled together. “Oh wow, thank you,” Taeyong says, going over to it and starting to sift through it.

 

There's a small pile of clothes, and Mhuibith obviously took note of what Taeyong said, because the clothes are all almost exact copies of what Taeyong was wearing at the beach. He thanks himself for his choice of outfit then, just a t-shirt and sweatpants. 

 

A couple pieces are too big, but thankfully none are too small. Taeyong throws away the sheet and pulls the clothes on, rubbing his palms on his legs after to feel the comfortingly familiar texture. 

 

There's a teetering pile of canned stews and vegetables. This living without modern conveniences thing is harder than he assumed, he'll need a stove or something to heat this up. There's stacked pallets of bottled water, which is nice, and a little pile of books. 

 

Taeyong pulls one out at random, looking at the cover. Knitting for beginners. Taeyong turns and squints at Mhuibith. He wonders how much their mental connection goes both ways. Another slow blink of all those eyes. “Thanks," he ways. "I'll make use of it." 

 

And he does. He really settles in over the next couple of weeks. At first he's a little hesitant to ask Mhuibith for so much throughout the days, he doesn't want to use him as a servant or anything. But when he’s not doing something, he just half-sleeps in a corner of the biggest room, and hums happily when Taeyong talks to him or sends him off. It's kind of endearing, how happy this intimidatingly powerful entity is to please Taeyong. 

 

He reads up on knitting and other subjects he’s never learned about before. Mhuibith brings him all the books and materials he requests, how to set up a good working stove, effective ways of hand-washing his clothes. 

 

He'll go up on the ramparts to read all day in the sun, or sometimes he'll spend all day curled in Mhuibith's tentacles, engrossed in mental stories of times gone past. Occasionally he sees glimpses of Mhuibith's elder brethren. They all are absolutely terrifying, to be honest, no solid physical form like Mhuibith has, just indescribably shifting masses. 

 

One day, curious, Taeyong asks why he doesn’t look like them, why he can obviously feel in a way the others can't. Mhuibith shows him images of that otherworldly woman he had caught a glimpse of that day in the cave, her eyes radiating the affection of a mother. Visions of the woman assisting or destroying humans, temples built in her name, a people who named her Aphrodite, goddess of love. 

 

Taeyong had loved Greek mythology as a kid. His uncle said he was wasting time with shit like that but Taeyong had snuck out the books and read them under the covers with a flashlight. Now he's mated to a son of Aphrodite. Oh, how his former self could see him now. 

 

If Mhuibith is what a child of a god and an eldritch being looks like, he wonders what their children will look like. 

 

Taeyong's belly has been growing slightly every day. He’s not an expert on normal human pregnancies, sure, but he can definitely say it’s growing faster than normal. It's only been two weeks, but his stomach has a noticeable swell out. He doesn't like to think about what exactly the specifics of what's going on with his anatomy are, but thankfully, there's magic involved, so it can't be too weird. 

 

Besides renovating the castle, he starts up a project outside, clearing out a big path of nice looking ground, weeding it and digging up the dirt, planting potatoes and tomatoes and watermelon. 3 months later he’s already seeing the fruits of his results, the green vines and stalks lifting his heart. 

 

By that time Taeyong's too heavy to work outside anymore, so he learns how to knit. He's so big he can't see his feet when he stands up and there's regular little kicks in his stomach. He can feel the babies in there, and there's definitely more than one. He can feel the touch of their minds, the same way he can constantly hear Mhuibith now. 

 

It's really nice to not have to do anything, to only work on being productive on his own goals, but you can only read, knit, and garden so much. Mhuibith gets him anything he wants for, Taeyong spends too much  time in one place. He's got cabin fever. 

 

He's surprised it only happened now, four months in. Taeyong is sitting in Mhuibith’s tentacles reading a novel when he brings it up. He really doesn't know how to put it. 

 

"I want to leave," he says, wincing when he hears his own word choice and the little wave of shock that goes through Mhuibith. "Not like that," he assures. “I just need to be in a new place for even a few hours, y'know?" 

 

Mhuibith doesn't know, of course, it's such a human emotion, but he still says  _ I can do that.  _ He doesn't often communicate in coherent sentences, not used to it, but he knows Taeyong likes it better and so makes an effort. 

 

Taeyong’s already excited, planning where he wants to go, somewhere simple and calm, but then he realizes there’s the problem of his enormously pregnant belly. There’s no way to hide it, but he can't have someone grabbing him for government experiments or something like that.

 

*

 

The next day Taeyong finds himself adjusting his black wig and the straps of his loose dress. Mhuibith eyes him. "What's that look for?” Taeyong says. 

 

_ No difference _ , Mhuibith says. Taeyong pats the nearest tentacle to him. 

 

"Not to you, maybe, but it'll be less conspicuous to other humans.” He indicates that he’s ready, and in a split second, he's somewhere else, in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street. 

 

Mhuibith is nowhere to be seen, but Taeyong can still feel his consciousness next to him, only hidden. Taeyong had asked him once how he did it, not only invisible but non-physical, and Mhuibith had shown him, something complicated with slightly parallel universes. 

 

The first thing that stands out to Taeyong is the noise. He hasn't heard anything other than the wind, insects, and distant braying of sheep in months. His ears are assaulted with cars honking, dozens of people talking at once, beeps and yells and music blaring. 

 

Taeyong just stands there frozen in the street trying to process it. An invisible tentacle curls around his hand, and Taeyong grasps it, anchoring himself. He breathes deeply and tries to clear his head, looking around. 

 

He knows this area, but it feels like two lifetimes ago, he was such a different person. That Taeyong had walked to his uncle's office building every day, desperately trying to keep together his scrapings of a life, every week trying to keep his spirits up by treating himself to a coffee and pastry at this cafe. 

 

Taeyong wraps his arms absently around his belly, marvelling at how drastically his life has changed since then, less than six months ago. He looks left and right and crosses the street with the other people, feeling slightly more adjusted. The cafe bell rings when he enters as always, bringing back a flood of nostalgia. 

 

The employee at the counter that takes his order is unfamiliar. Taeyong thanks him and sits by the full-length window, resting his chin on his hands and staring out at the flood of people. A familiar voice calls the fake name he had offered, and Taeyong turns to look. It's Johnny, the employee he used to make small talk with every week, one of the only people that even came close to being a friend for him. 

 

He walks up to the counter, keeping his eyes mostly downcast. Johnny does a double-take when he sees him, eyes roving over his figure. Taeyong can almost see him saying to himself  _ No, that could never be him.  _ "Enjoy, ma'am," Johnny says, voice a little shaky. Taeyong just nods and returns to his seat with a strange sense of longing.

 

After he finishes he throws away the cup and leaves with one last look at Johnny at the counter. It's nice being here now that he's not overwhelmed, to mingle anonymously with the crowd, but his back is starting to ache with the pressure of his belly weighing him down. 

 

Taeyong looks around, taking in all the people. The babies kick inside of him, insistent, and he places a hand his stomach, finding a bench to sit down on. He feels hard movement inside of him again, a mental presence as well, and he shifts uncomfortably. He can feel the babies, and they want out. 

 

“Mhuibith,” he whispers, and there's a comforting tentacle wrapped around his hand. "They’re coming, we need to go."

 

Oddly, he's deathly calm. He's so happy to finally meet his children, and he knows Mhuibith will not let harm come to any of them. They're back in the castle, in his own bedroom. Mhuibith quickly re-materializes, scooping Taeyong up gentle but strong in his tentacles and depositing him on the bed, propping pillows up behind his back. 

 

Another lurch, and god, it's coming out already. It's starting to hurt, too much stretching out his insides, but a tentacle rests on taeyong's sweaty brow and most of the pain dissipates. The pressure doesn't, though, and it’s such a weird feeling.

 

Five minutes of straining later, and with a pop, the first baby is out of him. The second one's still on it's way, slipping out just a few seconds later. Taeyong's thinks that that's the end of it, but then a third baby squeezes its way out of him. 

 

He's done now, he can feel it, laying his head back, drenched in sweat. He gestures and one of Mhuibith's strong tentacles support his back so he can sit up and finally see his babies. Mhuibith is cradling them delicately, looking down at them so tenderly it makes Taeyong’s heart clench. 

 

All three of them look way more like Taeyong than their father. The smallest is tiny and pink, looks entirely like a human baby until Taeyong scoots forward to get a better look at them and the baby's eyes flick open to reveal bright glowing lavender irises.  

 

The second, largest baby looks the most like his father, skin a deep shade of purple, four or five closed eye sockets on his forehead and cheeks and a dozen little tentacles waving from his hips. The third is a direct combination of them back, one third eye right in the middle of his forehead and just a few tentacles wriggling from his torso.

 

Taeyong looks at them and feels an overwhelming love burn through him, an emotional intensity he's never felt before. These are his children, and he will protect and cherish them with his life. The smallest one is looking at him quietly with his wide glowing eyes, and the largest is wildly waving his little limbs around. The middle child opens his mouth as if to cry but just leaves it open, gaping at the world. They're so cute Taeyong can't help but coo out loud. He turns to Mhuibith. "This all went so fast, I can't believe we didn't talk about names!" 

 

Mhuibith doesn't tear his gaze away from the babies but presses across naming customs of his kind, that at birthing their destined names just come unbidden to the mother. Taeyong worries his lip and looks back at them. Nothing came to him in the process, but maybe now...He gathers the oldest baby in his arms, marveling at just how frail and small he is. 

 

He closes his eyes and lets his mind go blank. Just like his feet were led on the beach all that time ago, there's a whisper in the back of his mind. "Renjun," he says, opening his eyes. The baby waves his little fist, tiny mouuth srpeading into a smile. "Oh,” Taeyong breathes. “My Renjunnie." He presses a kiss to his tiny wrinkled forehead, reluctantly handing him back to his father.

 

Next he picks up the most eldritch baby. "Oh, you're a sturdy little fella," Taeyong says. This time, it comes easier. "Jeno," he announces, the little purple tentacles curling around his fingers. Lastly the little middle child, with his warm brown eyes. This one takes a little longer to come to him. "Jaemin," he finally says, and the baby lets out a little giggle.

**Author's Note:**

> stay tuned for the next chapters to watch the boys grow up~  
> [Curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/orca_mandaeru)  
> [Twitter](http://twitter.com/orca_mandaeru)


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